


Blooming Carnations

by Skysquid22



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Florist AU, Flowers, Fluff, Ice Cream Parlors, Ignore inaccuracies with the flowers growing seasons, M/M, Mild Rolivia, Random POV Changes, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but it is based a little on McCall Idaho, hanakotoba, no the town does not exist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-19 09:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14871155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skysquid22/pseuds/Skysquid22
Summary: New resident and tattoo artist Sonny Carisi moves in across the street from the handsome florist Rafael Barba.





	1. Magnolias

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a long project (about 10 months) and I'm very excited to start posting it. Pure, unadulterated, fluff. So, please, enjoy!
> 
> Huge, huge, _huge_ thank you to my betas, chilton, goodnerd49, and barbaesparza. This work is also partially inspired by ghostofachancewithyou's Hanakotoba edits. Keep an eye out for the endnotes for what the flower means.

A group of men, well _boys,_ moved around in the vacant building across the street. That house used to be a bakery of all places, it was since abandoned after competition rose just around the corner. Rafael had to say that the new bakery was better than what they served a few yards from his home and life. Much better croissants. 

A beer cooler propped open the glass door as a hunky brunette applied midnight blue to the walls, another carried boxes to the upper floor. A man with a massive black beard and tattoos covering his arms helped a tall blonde carry something akin to a dentist chair into the building. 

Rafael stared at them through his closed curtains. He never had them closed, the windowsill plants had to get their light. But he straightened his back and glared a hole through the bearded man's back, as if his glare could run the party out of town. It probably could if they were looking at the stalkerish florist across the street.

“What do you think they’re putting in?”

Rafael flinched and hoped his assistant couldn’t tell how she had caught him off guard, but knowing her she knew. Carmen wasn’t one to point these things out and tease him about it; part of the reason he hired her. 

Rafael stepped away from the window and made sure the shop across the street was out of sight. “Well, whatever it is I’m not liking it so far.” He muttered, suddenly finding he had _plenty_ of things to take care of.

Carmen replaced his spot and opened the curtains letting light into the left side of the store. She watched as one of the men unrolled a few drawings of generic tattoo art, but it was styled to be put on the wall in a frame. “I’m betting it’s a tattoo parlor.”

A tattoo parlor. _Fantastic._ But given recent events, it would make sense. A whole hell of a lot of new people were moving in recently, bringing in their businesses with them. The _gang_ across the street shouldn’t be all that surprising. Each new entrepreneur popped up like weeds in a garden. 

Rafael sniffed indignantly and, with a lack of anything better to do, swept the Spanish tiled floor. He _hated_ change. Ironic, since he worked with the thing that changed most in this world. Though flowers were secondary only to people in that regard. 

After a while Carmen stopped looking at their new neighbors and left for the greenhouse. He wove his way through the rows of flowers to shut the curtains, just before he snuck another look. The man who went upstairs earlier had come back down and was now talking to the leggy blonde. The man with tattoo sleeves on his arms was messing with cables near the new chairs while his buddy was helping out. Strangely enough from this distance the man with the dark hair appeared to be the only one with tattoos. 

Damn this town. If so be, he was willing to be the most unfriendly and unforgiving neighbor. Even from across the street the bearded man was cursing at his failed attempt to wire a chair up to equipment. The brunette was calming him down. _It seems it won’t take forever to run him out of town,_ Rafael smiled.

-

At long last he was finally moved in. 

Sonny was ecstatic to be moving to this town. It was the same town a dear friend of his lived in and once given the golden opportunity he pounced on the chance to move like a cat to prey. His friends helped him move in and along with some cursing, a broken finger, and a few broken plates he was truly ready to reinvent himself. Sure it was rocky beginning and as one of them them pointed out, a bad omen, but he wasn’t really one to fall for superstitions (he always thought they were ridiculous).

He was determined to make the best of it. A new town, a new life, a new beginning. 

So he stood behind the counter and waited for his first customer to come in. He wasn’t expecting anyone to drop in, after all he _just_ opened his business. But either way a woman with long blonde hair came through the door spilling ease and cool. Hands at her side she took in the dark blue walls and the out of place natural lighting. Behind the man at the counter, she could see two twin chairs surrounded by heavy black curtains and split by a wall. Probably for privacy. 

She walked up to the man at the counter who beared a small, sweet smile. “Hi.” She greeted, all southern charm in her voice.

“Hello. How can I help you?” A Staten Island accent poured through his lips, it sounded odd in the air like it had no place being there at all. 

She smiled, “Well, I’m looking to get a tattoo.”

“Oh, okay. Do you have a design in mind or…?” He said, bumbling for an notebook.

The man was tall, thin, _lean._ Like a beanpole. He had shining sky blue eyes; she could’ve gotten lost in the sincerity she found in them. The horrible little rat that graced his upper lip did him no favors however. “I’m looking for a floral design, magnolias preferably. I don’t have any preference on the design.” 

“Alright…” He said scribbling down notes. “Where do you want it?”

“The back of my left leg, how long would it take?” She asked.

“It depends. I’ll have to create a design, make sure it’s okay with you and then set up an appointment. For the actual tattoo it would take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours depending on color and size.” The blond spoke clearly, despite the rough accent he sounded friendly like a grandmother who baked a batch of cookies for you because _it’s so nice outside._

She really didn’t know much about the tattoo business. Amanda knew what she wanted and was determined to get it but other than that she was clueless. Humming in deliberation she decided, “I want a little bit of color and I want it to take up most of the leg so…”

His smile bloomed again, “Alright. I’ll make a few designs and I’ll call you for a meeting, how’s that?”

She gave a sly smile, “Fine by me. By the way what’s your name? I need to know the name of the only tattoo artist in this town in case he screws it up and I can come and get him,” she pronounced sweetly.

“I’ll have you know that I do a fine job thank you very much.” He reached over to the far side of the counter and grabbed a leather book. “Here’s a collection of my handiwork. And the name’s Dominick Carisi Jr., call me Sonny.” He reached out his hand and she took it strongly. She couldn’t help but feel like some kind of pact had been made. 

“Amanda Rollins.” Her smirk soften into a smile as she retreated to flip through the book. There weren’t a lot of tattoos in the portfolio, but each one was beautifully colored and made. Thank god she didn’t have to drive or fly somewhere to get a decent tattoo; Sonny would do just fine. “You just moved here, right?”

“Yeah just a week ago!” He chimed proudly, “Why?”

“Get rid of the stache.” Self consciously he reached up to touch it like he forgot it was there in the first place.

With this new advice he finished writing down her name and after asking, her number. After some heavy teasing at that, Amanda soon left after figuring out prices and such and confirming what kind of colors she wanted. Sonny was determined to do well for his first customer; what were the odds that the first stranger to walk through that door was truly going to get a tattoo? Anyway he wasn’t going to screw this up, small town and people talk, do well on the first job and the name ‘Carisi’ would spread. 

But enough wishful thinking. It was time to start drawing magnolia flowers. He had done flower pieces before and always enjoyed doing them, but in the past he’d just look up the flowers or trudge a few blocks just to look at them for a bit before the shop owner kicked him out. Only to come back again with a camera. He was always better when the actual item was in front of him. 

New town, so he didn’t know any florists, at least not personally. Luckily for him he happened to move across the street from a flower shop. 

Moving behind the counter to the floor to ceiling windows he spied a woman in the front of the shop watering the pair of hydrangea bushes in the front. The building itself was two stories tall, right above the door was a sign, reading in a fading green, _Barba’s Flowers._

_Very original._ Carisi mused.

Connected to the building was a greenhouse which opened onto the patio in the front. On said patio was a collection of all types of potted flowers and bushes as well as a small glass table shaded under a umbrella. 

All in all it looked to be a very quaint shop, the owner, perhaps Ms. or Mrs. Barba over there, seemed like a nice lady. If he asked sweetly enough he might be able to draw flowers in her shop. Although in the past he hasn’t had much success in that department. One way or another he rubbed people the wrong way, either with his accent or presence. 

He didn’t understand why people disliked him so much. Maybe it _was_ the stache. 

He’d take care of that later though, he’d better go over there to introduce himself before the afternoon hit and customers started to come. Plus it would be better to catch her before she’s busy and her own customers start to roll in. The morning sun cast rays down onto the street, making it glow in the way that only a truly nice day could achieve. It was perfectly early enough for him to go and see if Barba would let him draw her flowers.

Carisi flipped the sign over to ‘CLOSED’ and ran back upstairs to his apartment to grab his nearly completed sketchbook. Turning back he locked up the shop and hopped his way across the street, each step boosting his confidence. He no longer saw the woman that was there before.

As he walked up the small concrete flight of stairs he could smell all sorts of flowers. The aroma invaded his senses, taking such a strong hold that lilacs and roses were all he could inhale. Though, if he did go nose blind with the pollinated scent it wouldn’t be half bad. He opened the large grey wooden door, and the sound of a bell welcomed him in.

Two dutch windows flank the sides of the door, each of them bringing sunlight to the little ecosystem on the shelf connected to them. He walked across the simple red spanish tiles and in between rows of flowers to discover a large countertop stretching from wall to wall. The right side was open with all the types of flowers in the way; a small path is there to get around it and lead to a door to the greenhouse.

Sonny knew that a flower shop would be full of flowers, but they’re _everywhere._ Hanging from the ceiling either upside down or in pots. On carts in the area before the (also) flower filled counter, on the floor in large pots. On the window sills in the back near the tub sink. Racks of them stretch like marble columns into the air. There isn’t a few feet of space where a flower isn’t occupying it.

Standing behind the countertop was not the lady like he was expecting, no, it was a man.

A very, very pretty man.

“How can I help you?”

He was leaned over a piece of paper writing something down and didn’t bother looking up at Sonny to address him. The man behind the counter straightened his back and glanced at the man who attempted to make himself smaller in the space. Unimpressed, he looked back down at his paper and continued to write things down. 

Carisi however, _was_ impressed. He was wearing a pine colored apron that reflected his green eyes, he also had his hair neatly kept and styled, like he was a white collar worker and not a florist. To go along with the ensemble he wore a thin white button-up shirt which had the sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. God, if only that apron wasn’t in the way.

“I know I don’t have a sign for it, but I generally don’t like loiterers so---” He trailed off. 

“Uh. I’m sorry, what?” Carisi said, snapping back to reality and daytime thinking.

The man before him squinted and looked even more detached than before.

He sighed and said, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

_Plenty._

Sonny shook away his thoughts and cleared his mind. He had to get down to business and introduce himself to the people working here.

“Well, I’m looking for the owner…” Carisi trailed off, his mouth suddenly dry and uncooperative.

“You would be looking at him.” He said setting his paper aside.

“Oh.” He deflated feeling the embarrassment rush to his cheeks. “Then you must be---”

Hands still on the pen and paper below him, he cut quickly, “Rafael Barba.” 

“‘M Dominick Carisi. Call me Sonny.” He replied keeping his hands burrowed in his pockets.

With some uncertainty and a slight arrogance in his voice he asked, “Are you the tattoo artist across the street…?”

“Yeah, I just opened, if you ever need a tattoo I can help you out.” He smiled widely.

Barba looked even more impassive than before. Before the soft questioning glance could get rid of him he had to ask about the flower he was searching for. Carisi’s throat had dried up some though, and he scolded himself for the reason behind it -- yes, the florist’s hot, but he needed to act like a professional. They worked across the street from each other, after all. He couldn’t pine over him forever.

He cleared his throat, licked his lips, and mustered up what confidence he could gather. Carisi asked, “Could you help me out? I’m looking for a flower, magnolias.”

That seemed to get his attention. Rafael furrowed his eyebrows and repeated, “Magnolias?”

“Yeah, yeah, my client wants a tattoo with magnolias, which I understand is a flower so I was wondering if you sold them or something? Or maybe,” Sonny pulled the sketchbook out from underneath his arm. “I can just sit and draw them. I won’t bother you or anything.” He clarified quickly. 

Barba’s face split into a smirk. It was sharp and knowing and though Sonny was glad to get a different expression out of him he dreaded what this meant. He felt like this man could and would tear him apart any second. “Sorry to break it to you,” Barba drawled, “but magnolias grow on trees.”

Oh.

Just like that, with calm desinence, Rafael shattered any form of his remaining confidence. Carisi came in here with purpose to parade around, a block to deflect from the real matter which was getting to know his neighbor. _A safety net, a prop._ Now, he had nothing. 

Quickly saving face Sonny thought back to his conversation with Miss Rollins and asked, “Well, uhm. What kinds of white flowers do you sell, or do you have anything that’s like magnolias?”

Barba squinted at him, clearly catching his hitch, but before he could point it out or answer his question the front door opened again to bring in a new customer. He turned to Carisi and stated, “My assistant Carmen will help you. She’s in the greenhouse.” The florist jerked his head left, at a door. Yellow-green light shone through the warped glass. “Now if you’ll excuse me…” 

Sonny nodded and slid to the side, he watched as the patron eased up to the counter and started to talk decisively. This man seemed to be a regular judging by Barba’s laidback reaction and seemingly _pleasant_ demeanor, which made Carisi unreasonably jealous. Part of him thought that he was showing off and rubbing this kindness indirectly in his face. Not wanting to linger any longer he walked over the the door and opened it to see soft light filling the greenhouse. 

The room was gorgeous. The gentle light brought out all the colors out of the rows and rows of flowers that overtook the ground, the air, and any other space that the florist could find to place plants. And there, in the back near a tub sink, was the woman he saw watering the flora outside.

“Uh, hello. Carmen, right? I’m looking for any flowers that are like magnolias?” 

The lady turned around and smiled, “I have a few things.”

Sonny introduced himself and took note of her kindness. For the time being, he would just grab the flowers he needed for now, maybe come back another time to sit and draw. As pretty as that man was, to deal with someone as dismissive as him was going to be a pain in the ass. 

He must’ve spent too long staring longingly at the door to the main building because Carmen said, “He’s really not that bad.”

Snapping his head back to the woman who was cutting his flowers to take home, he instinctively replied, “Are you sure?”

Scolding himself and ready to apologize for his rash behavior Carmen cut him off, “I know it seems that way, but don’t let his behavior get to you. He’s actually very kind.”

“Does he treat every new customer like they’re trespassers?” He muttered.

“No, just the ones who are brash. If you wanna get in his good graces I suggest getting rid of the mustache.” 

Sonny reached up to the offending stache, “Is it really that bad? You’re the second person to say that.”

Carmen wrapped up the bouquet of white flowers and passed them to Carisi. The bouquet was mostly filled with calla lilies, baby’s breath, white roses, and daffodils. “Then the first person was right, I’m sorry to say.” On top of the bouquet she added a card with some writing on it. But before she gave over the flowers she abruptly pulled them back. “Do you have any pets by the way?”

The question threw him off, but he answered tactfully anyway. “Uh, no. Why?”

“These flowers are very dangerous to eat. I know you probably weren’t planning to eat them of course, but your cat or dog will die if they eat these. Except for the roses.” Startled Sonny was only able to nod in confirmation. She tipped the flowers to him, “Please do come back though. Go pay at the counter.” She sent him off with a kind smile. Sparked with nervousness and renewed determination he walked back into the main building.

Back to Barba.

The florist may be an ass and Carisi wasn’t sure why he liked him so much. Perhaps it was the want to see him on a more regular basis or maybe it was the fact he always had crushes on older men. Despite his rash behavior he would continue to try and get to know him. The chances were high that he was going to come over again for more flowers, so he might as well attempt to be on good terms with the man. 

Carisi practically shoved the door open and waltzed to the counter where Rafael just sent off a customer on his way. The fake smile on his face dropped once Carisi tossed the card on the granite countertop. 

“I see you found some substitutes.” Rafael muses as he rang him up.

“Carmen really knows what she’s doing.” Carisi baited.

Barba caught him and didn’t take it, instead he chose to place the card (with added writing in red ink) back into the mess of flowers. He pronounced, “Your total is $78.45.”

“What?” Sonny nearly shouted. He immediately apologized under his breath, the sloped shoulders of before were up and ready to fight. Carisi’s face didn’t portray this though, only bewilderment. 

Barba didn’t seem bothered by his reaction, he just smirked and tilted his head a fraction in amusement. “Buying a bouquet is a fairly pricey endeavor.”

“Yes, but _nearly $100?_ ”

“My prices are pretty cheap for the quality you’re getting, and that’s not just me promoting my own brand here. Ask anyone in town and they’ll tell you that my flowers are worth it.”

Carisi bit his cheek. And he thought that _he_ was cocky as can be, but luckily for Barba he was working on not being so… dickish. To put it elegantly. Barba on the other hand was distancing himself further than Voyager 1. Promoting your own business wasn’t going to earn you any friends here. Which brought up the question if he has any at all.

“Alright, alright.” He fished out his card to pay, “Next time, I’ll just sit and draw. If -- if you’ll let me, of course.” Sonny swayed.

Rafael avoided the open question, instead choosing to take on the less noticeable one, “Why do you want to draw the flowers in shop?”

“Natural light is much better, with a photograph you only get one view of your subject. I also like the atmosphere of the place, it’s easy to draw in a environment like this.”

As much as that felt like a lie to say that it was the truth. 

A ring of a bell tore Barba’s unreadable eyes away to the door where another customer entered, “Good luck in your endeavors.”

Sonny hugged his bouquet as Carmen pointed out before when she was gathering flowers for him, _“Magnolias represent ‘natural’, we don’t have anything that’s as on point as that, but we do have a few flowers that may do the trick. You should talk to your client about this…”_

“See ya around Mr. Barba.”

The man didn’t say anything nor did he acknowledge him at all. No, he seemed focused on his next patron.

Carisi left the building without another word.


	2. Roses

Fueled by Carmen’s assurances, he kept coming back. The next time he returned nothing much was different, Barba still seemed passive. However something was off when he shuffled up to the counter a few days later. 

Ahead of him Barba stood just in the back arranging a bouquet full of roses, daisies, and other colorful flowers he didn’t recognize. At least this time Barba didn’t ignore him, instead he glanced up and smartly asked, “Back for more?”

“Well yes. My client wants a variety of roses for their tattoo.” Sonny turned his voice so it seemed to be dripping with ease, Barba raised an eyebrow at his attempt of being bold but didn’t linger on it. Instead of asking about Sonny’s false bravado he built up his own and preened under the attention. He stood straighter and nodded. 

“I can do that.” He fiddled with the flowers, but yet his body was already turned to Sonny. Then he sauntered towards the counter -- slowly; showing off -- and side stepped it. Now on the other side, no barrier between them, Barba gave him a steely look that conveyed nothing except for power. “Follow me.” He told him, walking away.

Barba led him to the front of the shop, where the windows casted a pale glow over the flora. Tucked into the space were pots of cut roses of every color. Some were different hues and pastels of pink, white, orange, lilac, and yellow. Carisi turned to ask how he got all of these but Barba had disappeared, only to return behind a cart of carnations with a small stool in hand. 

“You can use this for drawing, I don’t have anything better.” Rafael fidgeted a little with the stool he had in his hands. Avoiding eye contact he sat the chair down in the middle of the colorful display and left the way he came. It was odd, he wasn’t gone that long but somehow, within a short time he went from a peacock showing off to an anxious cat. Even better for Barba, the rows and rows flowers obscured him from sight, but when Carisi sat down he saw Barba back at the counter through a tunnel of roses, the picture of ease again. Sonny wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Carisi was very good at reading people, had to do it all the time, but these miniscule interactions with Rafael told him nothing about the man. In fact, he realized something. Sonny didn’t even ask to draw, Rafael just assumed, from their short conversation they had a few days ago, that he was going to. More credit should be thrown to him to notice that, though maybe he just wanted to get rid of him.

Sonny was happy regardless of what Barba thought of him, the view was great. Just the right light for the full and beautiful roses. He grabbed his sketchbook from his bag, that he actually managed to bring this time, and flipped to a new page. 

As he slowly penciled in petals his mind wandered away from the simple task. Mostly to what other ways he can get back in here on a more regular basis without much suspicion, because Rafael was still a joy to be around if not just to find out what he was like other than dismissive and snarky.

Customers passed through, and from Carisi’s little outlook he was able to spy on their conversations. At first glance a few days ago, he figured that their interaction was more cold than one could expect from Barba which Sonny chalked up to his accent and his mustache. But as he watched other customers come in and out and Barba’s varied reactions to them, Sonny realized that something was different with theirs.

Rafael was cold, but not overly. He was doing a job and wanted to push customers along as fast as he could without costing him business. Sure, the relationship was minimal as it seemed, but it was much different that the reactions he got on his first visit and today. Perhaps he could talk to Carmen more often and find out more about him. 

Soon enough the shop was empty, the light had changed noticeably, and Rafael stood behind his barrier writing things down. Sonny’s drawing was finished, but he wanted a reason to stay a little longer, so he quickly turned a new page and from his view of the man, drew what he could see.

Which was mostly his upper body and face surrounded by flowers, but that was perfectly fine in Carisi’s book. 

He didn’t want to intrude too long, he had a business to run after all which was getting some action. He briefly thought about breaking out watercolors, but that would be overkill. Sonny put the sketchbook away and stuffed it into his messenger bag, then walked back up to the counter weaving between columns of flora where Rafael looked up and held his gaze. 

“Thanks for letting me stay.” He shuffled his feet and broke eye contact. “I know you didn’t have to, but thanks for allowing me to do it anyway. Uhm, see you soon.” Carisi turned and waved over his shoulder; terrified to look back he practically ran across the street. 

For some reason Rafael got under his skin and, like a junkie, he kept coming back for more. 

Over the next few weeks Sonny would try to think of creative excuses to come over, and Rafael never seemed to mind too much. There was something _more_ to this man that he wanted to know. Under the bravado and passiveness Carisi hoped that he could get to know him better, maybe it was out of some sort of need for his approval.

Regardless, he was getting steady business and kept coming over to _Barba’s Flowers_. Sonny irrationally reasoned that buying flowers was both expensive and promised nothing more than a short interaction, so he decided to draw more of them rather than buying them. It worked out in the end, when Ms. Rollins spread word of her white lily tattoo and others came in for both inkings _and_ his drawings. 

One day, on one of his visits, he sat in the greenhouse with Carmen making idle chat while she made some sort of special water for the plants. 

“I always found it really interesting that flowers have meaning to them. Who decided that red roses symbolize love, huh?” Sonny wondered aloud as he patiently drew more calla lilies. 

Somewhere behind him he heard a tap turning on, above the sound Carmen said, “Well we like to use Hanakotoba for our flowers. There are plenty of flowers out there that mean ‘love’ or some form of it.” 

“Oh?” Carisi said, now focusing more on her than his work. “What flowers?” 

“Red Camilas, Fritillaria camschatcensis, Carnations, Forget-Me-Not… There are _a lot._ ” 

Sonny went quiet, processing the information and started to put more shading into his drawing. “Can you tell me how Barba came into this business?”

Carmen smiled, Carisi hoped he imagined the knowingness in her eyes. “That’s a question you should ask him yourself.” 

On cue, Rafael opened the door to the greenhouse and strolled in with determination. He snaked through the garden and whispered something to Carmen. She gave him a sharp worrying look and quickly wiped her hands with the towel at her waist. She scurried away, they both watched her go and simultaneously looked at each other once she disappeared out of sight.

“Is everything okay---”

“I think you should leave.”

The comment wasn’t as cruel as he’d observed when they first met. Gradually, Sonny noticed, he’d warmed up a bit. Quick and cutting, not what he was like at first glance. But, still. The intent was in the florist’s eyes and he packed up his gear without another word. 

Carisi walked out downtrodden, only to catch a quick glance of Carmen’s back as she was taking a call on her phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Magnolias - Natural   
> White Lilies - Chastity and Virtue  
> Roses - Love (Each color has a different meaning, but it's usually some variation on love)


	3. Camellias

The longer Sonny spent in the lakeside town the quicker he realized what the best parts were.

The sunsets and sunrises, which he was trying to catch now.

The _Yummy! Ice Cream_ shop that was just around the corner. 

The lake, despite the fact he hasn't even been on it yet.

The flower shop across the street.

And of course, the man who resided in the floor above said shop. Rafael Barba. 

Carisi dragged himself from his bed to the window. On the horizon, past the lake and trees were the soft reds of the start of a sunrise. Turning back he caught something out of the corner of his eye. At the opposite end of the street sat Barba at a little glass table. Occasionally he’d sip at his coffee and look up toward the hazy horizon. To his joy, Sonny realized that he was watching the sunrise. 

He scrambled to put on a semi decent pair of jeans and a black Henley and jogged downstairs with all the excitement and speed of a kid on Christmas. He forced himself to walk with leisure and cool once he got outside. 

So he walked slowly, and too quietly in fact. As he walked up Rafael was too absorbed in his copy of the _New York Times_ to hear him coming. 

“May I join you?” 

Rafael flinched and took in a quick, startled breath. Good thing he wasn’t holding his coffee. Rafael shifted in his seat and turned towards him.

“Uhm. Yeah, sure.” Barba pulled his feet off the table and sat up, taking a long sip of his drink.

Carisi sat down and they lagged in awkward silence. The tension built until it became almost unbearable, both of them holding their breath desperate to not fall first. Barba finally took the initiative and asked him an strange question.

“Why did you come to Brookstown?”

The question wasn’t that odd, perfectly reasonable actually. It was just that he wasn’t 100% sure how to respond. 

“An old friend of mine lives here,” he reflected gazing into the valley, “I was looking for somewhere different so I came here.”

Barba raised an eyebrow, “You just… left? Without telling anyone?”

“Well.” Carisi leaned forward, carrying his burdens in his shoulders. “My father -- believe it or not, it’s actually a family business. And he wanted to send me off to manage my own shop. So,” he tisked, “here I am.” Sonny smiled, wistfulness in his eyes with hurt bleeding at the edges. 

Barba could sense some unwanted baggage in between strained words so he chose not to open that can of worms and sipped his coffee instead. 

Before them, the road sloped downward to the edge of the lake where a slew of businesses dotted the street right next to it. Slowly the sun rose into the sky, light bouncing off of Willow Lake and creating a shimmering effect. The sight was intoxicating to watch. The entire valley filled with light, it played with the fog, the water, glass on the buildings and the greenhouse. It was one of the best parts about living in this town - the sights and scenery were gorgeous. 

Rafael smirked and looked to his right to ask Carisi about how the town was in an attempt to be more friendly to the man, but the question died on his tongue. 

_This_ was how Sonny got his name. 

Early sunlight turned his grey wheat colored hair into pale gold. Blue eyes caught the light as well, turning an ever deeper blue. He _knew_ that he was an attractive man, but _damn._

The look left him speechless with his mouth open like a fool. 

Carisi turned to face him and smiled, it made his heart hurt. 

“Hey, uhm,” he licked his lips and reclined back. “Why here, in Brookstown? It’s just that, uh, you don’t seem, well --” He kept rambling and moving his hands around as to coax his comment out of himself. Barba’s traitorist mind thought it was cute. “Being a florist, it, uhm, it doesn’t exactly fit your personality. _Not that it’s a bad thing!_ ” He assured quicky gesturing towards him.

Sonny sighed and looked downcast, his eyes fixated on the pattern the sunlight made from the table. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that why did you become a florist?”

Barba hummed and turned to his coffee, he knew the answer but he refused to hand it out willingly to this giraffe of a man. Sure, he came by often and seemed really sweet, but Carisi was not a man he would regularly converse with, really he trusted him to not rob his store at the very most. Even if he did want to see that smile that made his eyes crinkle around the edges. The point was that they weren’t close. At all. And now, at 7 in the morning looking down at shimmering Willow Lake, he wasn’t going to tell this man that he barely knew his life story. Rafael ignored the fact that he wouldn’t mind getting to know him in the first place and that his actions now didn’t help that process. 

He stood up, his burgundy shirt riding up a little, gripped his coffee and turned to Carisi. For a split second he could’ve sworn that Sonny was checking him out, but a moment later he was staring at him like he was totally and completely enamored with him. 

Chalking it up to his mind betraying him, he told his neighbor, “Thank you. For the company.” He was honest, but there wasn’t any way to follow that up without being rude. “I appreciate it.” Barba decided and paced back towards his shop, barely opening the door to slip inside. 

Sonny cursed himself, knowing he was being too forward, but he just wanted to know him better. Standing up he adjusted himself and gave one last fleeting glance at the windows of Barba’s flowers. The view was mostly obscured by plants but he could see glimpses of Rafael running a hand through his soft brown hair. Sighing he walked back across the street; being direct was always his approach, but if he wanted to learn more about Barba he was going have to be less annoying. 

\---

They didn’t see each other again until a few days later, Carisi got wickedly busy with an influx of new clients. Some wanted regular tattoos, some just paid for watercolors of hydrangeas, but either way he made good money off of it. Occasionally Rollins would stop by and chat which was always a nice breath of fresh air. 

As soon as he could, he would visit. Carmen was out for a while -- her mother had a heart attack and she had to go play hospice caretaker for a while, so Barba was a man down trying to tie up orders when he could. At first Rafael would reject his help giving the excuse of, _“You already have enough work on your hands from what I’ve heard. You don’t need to do this.”_ Sonny tried his damndest to convince him though.

It was early afternoon, the sun high, sky was an ocean blue, and the birds were chirping happily in the air. One of those days you couldn’t help but smile at. Inside Sonny followed Rafael behind the counter and stood perched next to him while he finished cutting flowers in the tub sink. “Come on Barba, if you’re worried about my incompetence--”

“It’s not--” Barba sighed and leaned his hands against the sink. The tap slowly dripping to fill the silence. “I’m not worried about that, I know you can do it. Hell you’ve done twice the observation I had Carmen do.” Rafael licked his lips and Sonny forgot what question he was going to ask. “Fine.”

For the rest of the time Sonny spent there he mostly cut flowers, but did enquire about the intricacies of Hanakotoba and the names of certain flowers. He only worked a few times and reveled in each second he spent in the shop, because Barba was gradually opening up. Opening up about how much coffee he actually drinks, about his favorite flower which would be camellias, about a little cactus he got from a friend (which he named Clarence). Sonny also learned that he went to law school and was a fan of TV police procedurals, despite the inaccuracies of the law side. Despite all the sharing, Sonny stayed away from the topic of family for fear he might get another steely dismissal. 

So they stuck to the safe topics, nothing too emotional. Just easy friendship and camaraderie, which Sonny enjoyed, but in the back of his mind he still wanted more. The situation turned from wanting to try a relationship with his neighbor to wanting one with the closest friend he now had in this town. 

It was a dilemma that Sonny solved by doing nothing. 

\--

Sonny sat in a proper chair, leaned against the granite countertop and watched Barba tackle today’s crossword. Rafael had caved a week ago and bought him a stool that wasn’t as shabby because Carisi clearly had no intention of leaving, so might as well make him comfortable. The silence was welcome, earlier that day was the morning market which always drew in swaths of regulars and tourists alike to buy flowers. Once the afternoon hit they all disappeared as quick as they came like the tide.

Behind him the the bell above the door rang and both men looked up. First Sonny glanced at Barba’s face and saw him smiling genuinely, and at that Sonny snapped his head to the door to see a woman with beautiful caramel brown hair flowing softly over her shoulders. She stood tall and she spoke kindly, “Rafa… it’s good to see you.” She smiled.

Rafael walked briskly around the counter and hugged the unknown woman. They both looked happy to see each other. 

“It’s good seeing you Liv.” He let her go and asked quietly, “You’re early, what brings you back?”

Carisi turned back to the half finished crossword on the counter, he didn’t want to eavesdrop and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of jealousy at how easily this woman made Barba smile.

“Olivia, this is Carisi. He works in the tattoo shop across the street.” 

Cautiously smiling he got up from his chair and walked over to the pair. They shook hands and shifted awkwardly in their spots. 

Sonny turned to Rafael and said amusingly, “I better get going, I can’t stay here forever or I’ll be out of business.” The joke fell flat and Barba replaced his soft smile with a quick smirk. Sonny left without another word or glance to either of them, though he could hear the caring in their voices as they talked to each other.

Opening his shop back up, he thought about what happened back there. It was odd. In the back of his head was the notion that this woman was his girlfriend, but there was no evidence of that, or even that he was in a relationship at all. Sonny did remember when Barba made a joke about his bisexuality and he had proudly responded in tandem. It was a sweet moment where Rafael smiled, then changed the subject and went back to what they were originally talking about. It was just -- he sounded so _soft_ with her. Sonny wanted the open smiles and the whole best friend act, or maybe he wanted a relationship with him. In a way he did have that, but most of it was snarky jokes and banter that could maybe be considered light flirting under the right light.

Sonny grabbed his phone from his jacket and dialed a number that he was sure would help him sort out his damn feelings. Or at least it was someone who enjoyed watching Sonny’s small escapades into Barba’s life and would let him ramble at length about how unreasonable he was being. 

“Rollins.”

“Hey, it’s Sonny. You have time to come over? I’m supposed to be working but, uh---”

“Yeah I’m free. My babysitter has Jesse so I’ll be there in a minute.”

Oddly enough, over the few weeks after he met her they became fast friends. It was in Sonny’s nature to make buddies wherever he went, but it was a surprise to see that he became friends with his first customer. Barba wasn’t willing to show him around, but she was. In about fifteen minutes she walked in and, after the customer Sonny was dealing with left, Amanda ambled up and he spilled everything. They didn’t even need to get out any alcohol for it. Once he was finally done rambling Rollins did what she did best, be truthful. 

“You’re jealous.”

He was quiet for a moment; it really wasn’t hard to come to that conclusion.

“Well, I figured, but I don’t want to be.”

Rollins fiddled with the small knick knacks on Sonny’s glossy reception desk. “Seriously Sonny. Observe a little more I guess. Figure out if this woman is really his girlfriend, because at the moment you’re going off of a lot of assumptions. And you know what they say about assuming.”

“Yeah. I know I’m being unreasonable, but---” He swallowed and stood up straighter. Taking a deep breath to center himself he said, “I’ll keep my head up. Thanks ‘Manda.”

She smiled and pushed herself off the counter. “Hey, good luck. And if you find out that they aren’t, maybe… see if this Liv is into girls too?”

Sonny smiled and followed her to the door. “No promises.” He joked.

She left waving goodbye and he locked the door. Sonny looked out through the glass and across the street, and spotted Rafael tiredly watering the plants in the front of the shop. His hair was rumpled, loose strands sticking up and sideways which broke the neat and pristine facade that he always kept up. He wore a vest and tie underneath the deep green apron, which, Sonny had pointed out earlier, was a bit absurd. In a lot of ways he seemed like he was still a lawyer.

Rafael was a dream and Sonny loved the quick and easy banter he could have with the man as well as his outfits he wore like medals. With a tongue sharper than a knife, a smolder that could cut down any argument, and clothing that did nothing but wow, there was no wonder why Carisi had such fascination for the florist. He could be caring and he could be tough, and Sonny loved all of him. 

Crickets chirped and the air smelled of wood smoke and lakewater. It was past sundown, yet still the soft lighting somehow softened his features, making him even more beautiful. Barba looked his way, caught his eye, and went back inside.


	4. Hyacinth

Somehow, after just a few months, Carisi had gotten under his skin. Not in a bad way per se; he was friendly, kind, sweet, and helpful - everything Barba was not. 

He had a lovab-- _appealing_ smile that could always make his day. Even when he made jokes that were not worth laughing at he still chuckled at them. Always the gentleman, Carisi offered to water flowers, cut, or arrange for him. It took him a few months to realize it, from spring to summer, but Barba found himself falling harder and harder for him everyday. Carisi made him happy and lovesick, something Liv picked up on quickly.

Recently, she had got back from some photography shoot in New York. She had always been in and out of Brookstown for a long time, always taking the opportunity to travel for a show or a shoot, or some other wonder that caught her eye. But, after spending the spring away, she was finally back.

“So he works where Gaby's Bakery was, huh?” She stared out the window at large curtains that were drawn shut as well as a closed sign on the front. He might’ve been doing a client’s tattoo, but neither of them could say for certain. 

Once she got back she went to Barba’s to catch up on any town drama she missed. In a way it was a bit of a ritual, her closest friend would fill her in and she cherished it like a welcome home gift. The topic included his new neighbor and somehow, from one awkward interaction, she was able to suss out that Rafael was infatuated with the man.

“How long as he been there?” Olivia asked, watching him work. 

“A month or two, he got here about mid spring.” Barba answered, cutting another dead leaf from his pile. 

Liv hummed, taking note of his answer. 

Rafael knew that Liv tended not to be blunt, but it was frustrating when she wouldn’t snap to the point she was trying to make. She was waiting for Rafael to admit his feelings, Benson taunted him by skirting around the question. Perseverance was a specialty of his and so he did not cower - Rafael dealt with them himself, and without help.

Despite Olivia’s peacekeeper status, which would be perfect in a situation to ask someone out, Rafael refused. Carisi was just an overly friendly neighbor, nothing more to it. 

A week had passed since Liv returned and the last time he’d seen Carisi was when the gangly man had met her and got the hell out of dodge. Before then, the man showed up at his door nearly everyday. Usually in the mornings, because that’s when he had the time, though recently Rafael had suspicion that some part was being able to help, since most of Rafael’s work had to be done in the morning. 

_Sonny was just being nice and a good neighbor,_ he reasoned with himself, _just a friendly person who would do as much work as Carmen would do any given day free of charge._

Rafael chose not to think further on the _why_ and more on the recent orders he got. He couldn’t seem to focus though, his mind was set on remembering Sonny’s soft smile when they had coffee outside together. Even when Olivia was showing off her pictures she’d taken in New York he couldn’t get Carisi out of his head. 

\---

He didn’t show up the next day. Rafael hoped desperately that he would join him for coffee if he were to sit outside on the patio again like he had done a month ago, but no one joined him. Rafael would go and visit him, but he knew it would be uncomfortable for both of them. Would Carisi even want him there? There had to be a reason why he wasn’t visiting, Rafael should really go ask him. That’s something a friend would do, but they weren’t really friends, just _friendly_ \--neighbors who helped one another. 

Rafael drained his bitter coffee and walked back inside knowing that this was a one sided relationship in both sides of the definition. He did not help out at the tattoo parlor, he never asked if there could be something he could do. Carisi gave and gave and Rafael took it all with nothing to show for it other than a blooming crush that was unrequited.

He walked back into his shop, grabbed his apron, threw it over his neck and tied it quickly. At the very least he could drown himself into his work to forget about the pain he held in his heart.

\---

“I know I’ve done a lot of complaining recently,”

“Uh huh.”

“But I gotta say I think I’m good now.”

Amanda continued to click away at her laptop, one hand typing intermittently, the other fiddling with her jacket. “Alright, that’s good. Are you finally going go over there and ask him out?”

“That's the thing.” He scribbled in his sketchbook, working on a design involving edelweiss. Yet another flower that he couldn’t obtain. “I _can’t._ ”

“Can’t ask him out? It’s not that hard, all you---”

“That’s not what I mean, I can’t go over there. I don’t know how I found the courage to stay and help him these past months.” He gives a tired sigh as he tosses down his pen and spreads his palms on the counter. “The longer I don’t go over, the more awkward it’s gonna be when I do. I’m playing chicken.”

Amanda watched him carefully as she gently closed her laptop and put it to the side. “Sonny, you just gotta bite the bullet. Get back in the habit of going over there. Jealousy doesn’t seem to be clouding your brain anymore, so there’s nothing stopping you.”

“I know, that’s part of why it’s so scary. I keep feeling like I’m wasting time, Amanda. But no matter how much I know that, I can’t bring myself to do anything about it.” He stepped away from the polished black countertop. “I know he never really cared for me - he barely put up with my company, but that never bothered me before?” His voice rose to levels of near hysteria.

“Sonny. _Sonny.”_ Amanda placated from the small couch beside the door. Her phone dinged and she fished it out from her jacket. “It’s gonna be okay. Take a breather, you figure it all out alright? Look, sorry for cutting this short and I will return to this later, but I gotta go. Fin’s telling me that we have trouble.” 

Odd. Amanda and her friend Fin worked the only ice cream shop in town, her work life still seemed to be shrouded in mystery all the same. “Do you guys usually have this much trouble or is it just this shop?”

“I think there’s a bit of drama in every shop. Carisi, I’ve only met Barba once so I can’t say for sure how he’s like, but based on what you’ve told me about him and my own experience I think you’re blowing the whole ‘never really cared’ thing out of proportion.” Amanda turned to the door and with one last wave goodbye left.

She had to maneuver around someone who was coming in to the shop though.

“Liv.”

She smiled softly, walked up to the counter, tilted her head slightly, and asked, “Do you think you could do a tattoo for me?”

\---

“I know you said that he was good, but _damn_ Rafael, look at this.” 

On her inner right forearm was a yellow chrysanthemum. Its last ring of petals stretched outward, twisting and curling around one another until they reached the center, where the hue of yellow was at its strongest. Rafael had seen Sonny’s drawings before, he particularly remembered how beautiful they were. Somehow he managed to capture how each flower has its own personality and was able to put that onto paper. But he’d never seen any of them fully colored or arranged specifically for a tattoo. He was just as stunned as she was. 

“You know… I heard he’s getting good business out of this. Not just for the tattoos, his drawings too. You should go get one and ask him out.” She smiled.

Barba smirked in reply and went back to picking the remaining mites and thrips off from the daisies, “Subtle.” 

“Just saying,” She placated. 

Outside, the last light was beginning to leave the valley, the boats were docked, and the restaurants were busy; Brookstown was settling into the nightlife. 

“Barba,” her tone dropped to something more somber, “I’ve known you a long time and I know that you’re the one to compartmentalize things when it gets rough.” She leaned in closer to catch his eye. Sighing, Rafael looked up from his work to pay attention.

“Don’t waste your time wallowing in your self pity. Go, ask him out. You’ll be happier.” He opened his mouth for a rebuttal, “Stop, don’t worry about what will and won’t happen, you deserve happiness just like the rest of us.”

Wisely or not, Olivia did not mention the worrying fact that Carisi still hadn’t come back. He’d gone in and out of denial, but now he was just too tired of all this overthinking and over worrying. All he wanted was Sonny and he didn’t know for sure what he even did that made him run. Barba knew he was an asshole, but he thought he was being kinder recently. Snapping him out of his spin into despair once more, Olivia squeezed his shoulder hard and left him with one final piece of advice before she left for her date: “Don’t wait too long, Rafael.”

A moment later she was out the door. Barba walked over to the window overlooking the roses and watched Olivia leave. She didn’t head up the street to her home, but instead walked across the road to Sonny’s shop. Sonny was still inside, chatting and smiling joyfully at a blonde haired girl who seemed ready to leave. Rafael recognized her purely from how Carisi talked about her.

Liv walked in and greeted both of them; they gabbed for a bit then took Sonny’s friend by the hand, said goodbye, and walked down the street close together. 

Rafael huffed, “What are the chances…” he muttered to himself. 

His best friend was right, he was just gonna be wasting time. At the very least he could apologize, confess his love with Hanakotoba as a failsafe. 

Determined, fired up at the idea, Rafael rolled up his sleeves and donned his apron. He had work to do.


	5. Kamchatka Lilies

He started with carnations. Any color would get his point across, but for sake of romanticism he chose red. He had a lot of them anyway. Carnations were filler flowers though, so after running quickly to the greenhouse he started to wind in yellow and red camellias. Setting that down he went to his fridge and grabbed his small pot of kamchatka lilies and plucked a few from the plant. He put it back and went on the hunt for his pots of hyacinths. He grabbed a few single flowers of the purple variety and went back to his station.

With a bit of string he tied the hyacinths and the lilies intermingled with the rest of the flowers. Quickly creating the perfect binding point, he spaced out the bouquet’s flora perfectly. Tied off with garden string and a purple bow, it was complete.

White and red camellias dotted the edges with the periodic yellow in there. Kamchatka lilies and purple hyacinths were dispersed expertly in between red carnations. All with a purple silk bow.

Bouquet in hand, Barba exited his shop, ran down his small flight of stairs and spotted Carisi closing his shop. Luckily for him, Carisi saw him run up to the door. Confusion etching his tired eyes, he walked out of his shop to greet the man.

“Look,” Rafael panted. In the haste and panic he didn’t even think about what to say. But he didn’t get a chance to explain himself before Carisi spoke up. 

“No, I--I need to apologize. I’m sorry if I’m ‘too much’ or---”

“Oh for the love of god,” Rafael huffed, “never say that again. You’re perfect Sonny, it took me many stages of denial to get to this point, but I was being so stupid. _I_ need to apologize to you for my blunt behavior and, and that I made you leave---”

A warm startled laugh filled the air and Rafael stopped to see to his utter humiliation that Sonny was laughing at him. “Oh, Rafael. Don’t you realize you’re perfect too?” he smiled at him like he was a natural wonder. “Sorry for being cheesy, but you didn’t make me leave, I made the choice to distance myself because of me and my stupid brain. I was jealous over the friendship you have with Liv and I was being a complete idiot, I got over it quickly but I was gone long enough that it would be awkward coming back, so I just avoided the problem.” Sonny shook his head sadly and cast his eyes downward, “I’m so sorry I made you doubt yourself Rafael.”

For a minute, they just stood there staring at each other. The moonlight that was reflected from the lake brightened both men, making them look beautiful and ereathal. Sonny was especially alluring, his hair silver, and his features softened by the warm yellow light cast from the nearby streetlight. 

“I’m sorry for being a fool. I’m sorry I wasted time and that I never did anything.” Rafael confessed. 

Sonny reached for his forearms and slid his hands down until one was holding Barba’s hand and the other was curled around the bouquet. At last Carisi looked away from his eyes, instead he glanced at the spanse of Rafael's bare neck and then down to the flowers. 

Carisi examined the flowers carefully with wonder and happiness as he read their meaning. “I think it’s about time we both stopped apologizing now. Move on to bigger and better things.”

Sonny looked up with such affection that he couldn’t help but lean in to meet him in a kiss. 

Rafael was soft and pliant under his embrace, his lips tasted like honey and scotch - from a sip of liquid courage, perhaps? Sonny let go of his hand and moved it to Barba’s hip just to move them closer together. Meanwhile Barba trailed his remaining hand up Carisi’s back and onto his face, holding him close as they traded kisses. When Sonny pulled away slightly Rafael followed his movement and pulled away slightly to let him breath. 

Sonny gave him another peck on the lips before whispering, “I love you too, Rafael.” Barba smirked, gave him one quick, fiercely dirty kiss, then buried his head in Carisi’s soft neck repeating the same message again. His failsafe worked.

Slowly, reluctantly, Rafael pulled away. Sonny spun the bouquet in his hand. “Thank you for the flowers. How long did it take you to make this?”

“Five minutes, the hyacinth really took up the majority of the time. Also, make sure the leaves don’t touch the water or they--”

“They’ll spoil. I know.”

“I can give you the proper materials to make them last longer, but it’s mostly making sure they’re watered--”

“I got the same speech about this a month ago, also,” Sonny deadpanned, amused, “Why don't you give out any of this advice to your customers when they're buying flowers? You just gonna rely on us to figure it out?” He asked with a grin.

Rafael scoffed, shrugged, and buried his hands in his pockets. Sonny recognized the action as shy and wasn’t _that_ cute? “It takes forever, proper flower care is important, but why bother for something that’s meant to last a day?”

Carisi glanced down at his bouquet.

“Alright _look._ ” He placated. “Flowers live and die, it’s what they do. Symbolizing them is fine, but buying and saying that they represent your relationship is absurd.”

“So these are…?”

“Technically,” He sighed, “apology flowers, with lots of love. I’m not saying these represent our relationship, they tell you how I feel. That’s the difference.”

Sonny grabbed his arm and turned them towards his shop, “Who knew you were such a romantic?”

Rafael chose not to say anything about the fact he would’ve hung lights on the rafters and gave gifts like chocolate if he had any less control over his impulses, but instead he just nodded when Carisi asked shyly about coming in for a night cap.

\---

Just before dawn, Sonny woke to the sounds Rafael softly slipping away from his bed. In his half lucid state he grabbed for the warm, but empty spot on the bed. Then, he felt a chaste kiss to his forehead. 

“I gotta take off, my plants and Carmen need me.”

Carisi snorted at the odd phrase, “See you later…?”

“Of course, I’ll text you.” 

With another chaste kiss goodbye he listened to the soft rustling sounds that eventually faded into white noise. Sonny flopped back into the vacant spot and silently watched Rafael. With no real urgency he put his wrinkled shirt back on; each article of clothing that was picked up from the floor now held its own memory. His nice white button up, missing a button from last night’s exertion.

_In his urgency to get to skin Sonny started at the top buttons. He managed to unbutton one, but in his carelessness he accidentally pulled too hard at the split and off a button went, skittering to the floor. Barba glared at it before rushing a hand up to stop Carisi’s progress. With some skill Rafael pulled his shirt over his head and went back to kissing him. Without a doubt it was one the hottest things Sonny’d ever seen._

When Rafael was all set he grabbed his things and left, his mind already thinking about the day ahead. The majority of the town was still asleep when he exited Sonny’s home and shop; by now only a handful of people were getting up. The light was still on in his shop, but that’s because Carmen already took care of closing and beginning preparations. In the excitement of last night he forgot about his own place and quickly texted Carmen to quickly do it. 

_She needed a raise._

Speaking of which, as soon as he stepped inside he spotted her cleaning up and putting the supplies he used last night back in their proper places. 

“So. Did you have fun?” She smiled slightly, never the one to be blunt about things. In fairness, he did pull the ‘woe is me’ act a lot when talking about Sonny. He was head over heels, but Rafael would never admit that aloud. Unfortunately, Carmen could read him like a book. 

Rafael ducked his head, feeling like a teenager being caught from a night of drinking. “Yes. I’ll be down in a minute…” He added, now talking to Carmen's back as she bent over the sink.  
Sensing an out, he jogged upstairs to his apartment. Before he forgot, he went directly to his notebook on the counter and wrote in a reminder. _Give Carmen a raise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kamchatka Lilies (Fritillaria Camschatcensis): Love, curse  
> Yellow Camellias: Longing  
> Red Camellias: In Love, Perishing with grace. "You're a flame in my heart."  
> Red Carnations (or any color): Fascination, Distinction, and Love  
> Purple Hyacinth: Sorrow, I am sorry. Please forgive me.


	6. Carnations

After Barba took care of his flowers and Sonny finished up with his only client for the day, they decided to meet up. Sonny, the sap, suggested _Yummy! Ice Cream_ for their early afternoon rendezvous. 

The sun was high in the air and the tourists flocked to the lake and the downtown area. Which is why, for this exact reason, he avoided this part of Brookstown. They walked through the streets, slowly making their way to the shop.

“Did you know that Amanda works here? And apparently she started dating your friend too, Liv.” Sonny chatted as they walked on. 

Barba checked his buzzing phone, already getting the details from Benson. 

_Liv: “Amanda told me you two hooked up last night.”_

_Rafael: “That was fast.”_

“So I’ve heard.” He trailed off and squinted at the messages rapidly coming up on his phone. He knew it was a mistake to say that Sonny was taking him for ice cream.

Soon enough, they’d arrived.The bell from the door didn’t even ring before Rollins spotted Carisi and launched into fast paced conversation. She handed off a sherbert to a small child and told her coworker to take care of the counter for a moment. Rounding the freezers she continued divulging into her night last night, barely seeming to notice Barba standing stiffly just behind him. 

Amanda boasted about her dinner, going as far to say, “Did ya see the pictures I sent last night?” She paused, on cue, “Or wait… you couldn’t, could you.” A devilish grin spread across her face like the Cheshire Cat. 

He shrunk and blushed. The red bloomed across his face and left evidence on his neck.

Smiling, he joked, “Alright, alright, how about you get us some ice cream though?”

The bell at the door rang again. “Sure, what do you want?” 

\---

A sugar cone of vanilla and a bowl of chocolate ice cream later, they walked back into the early summer heat. Lunch had passed, so most tourists were either on the lake or beach, giving the sidewalks much needed clearance. The pair strolled leisurely down the walkway and Sonny took idle note of cumulus clouds in the distance. Eventually they came to a stop near a path that led down to the water. 

They stood silently together, just barely touching and simply enjoying the presence of one another. 

“You asked me why I became a florist.”

“Hmm?”

“Earlier, when you visited me in the morning when you first moved here. You asked me why I became a florist, and I ignored your question.”

Sonny turned and watched him carefully, waiting for him to go on. Below them, cobalt blue waters lapped at a grey beach.

He sighed, straightened his back and kept his gaze fixed firmly on the horizon, toward the brewing storm and the dark pines. “Mi abuela owned the shop for many, many years. When I needed to, I would simply head to her place and help her out. Catalina taught me everything I needed to know, but she knew that I was destined for someplace better than this tourist trap.” Rafael dropped his soft gaze to his clasped hands on the railing. “So I went to law school, Harvard, took my exams, became a prosecutor, and then one day as I was working miserably under my boss I got a call from my mother.”

Barba stilled, just as the wind had. Birds chirped angrily and boaters moved away from the docks as slate clouds consumed the sky. Sonny leaned closer until his arm and shoulder was touching his, he also stood slightly ahead both to get eye contact and protect him from the coming weather.

“Her health was failing, I _knew_ that. She had a bad hip, every day for years she had to painfully climb those stairs. I tried a month before to get her to move closer down here, where it would be easier for her, but she refused. Deep down I didn’t want to lose the shop, but her health was more important, she was vocal about not leaving.” He remembered the day when he tried to get her to move. Lucia was there with him, attempting to be reasonable. “Mami called me to tell me that she passed away.”

“Mi abuela wanted me to be a judge, but I was done with that life. So I took over the shop.”

“I’m so sorry Rafael.” Sonny stood in his orbit, a hand over Rafael’s. He took his hand lightly, a thumb softly stroked the valleys between his knuckles. Barba looked at him and his hair that somehow had turned as grey as the sky, tufts of it moving every which way with the wind as the pomade released it’s grip. 

He took one more glance at the grey-green lake and said faintly, “Come on, let’s go.”

They couldn’t make it back to their street in time to get out of the storm, and as they jumped from building to building working to avoid the rain, Rafael apologized for ruining the date. “I didn’t mean to get so reminiscent about my past there.”

Sonny fell in step behind him, “It’s alright. Hey, uh, you want dinner? I can cook for you.”

Rafael glanced behind him and slowed down in front of a bookstore. “Are you sure? You don’t have to…”

“Nah, it’s okay. My treat, unless you have something, then it’s fine--”

“We’re gonna be here all day, let’s just go inside.” Rafael led the way quickly to his shop, running up the brownstone like stairs. The two rushed inside and took stock of their ruined clothes. Sonny’s soaked Henley clung to his body, making him look even more like a string bean. Meanwhile, Rafael’s lilac button up didn’t take to the water either, and his hair plastered to his head as he tried to push it out of his eyes.

He failed, all he managed to do was it make it more disheveled. Rafael sighed and led Carisi back to the wall behind the counter. Just to their left was a set of steep stairs that curled up to a landing and a door. It was in a similar style to his own residence, Sonny noted as he followed him through. 

Inside it opened to a small living room and an equally small kitchen. Beyond was a door leading to a bathroom and another leading to his bedroom, which Rafael immediately disappeared through. On what little counter space there was were books and notes. There were also a few flowers here and there. On the corner of a end table was a framed picture; he could spot Rafael and another woman. On the far wall were more pictures, which he could only assume were of similar things. 

Sonny wandered into the kitchen and went to work on making them dinner. After scrounging around for pots and pans, slightly miffed at the fact he had almost nothing to work with, Rafael reappeared from his room. He wore a pair of navy sweatpants and a white t-shirt, and held out a small pile of clothing.

“Here, I figure that you wouldn’t want to stay in that.”

Carisi took them gingerly and traded places with him. Quickly he strode towards the bathroom, shucked off his itchy, damp clothes and replaced them. He walked out trying to put on Barba’s threadbare shirt. Rafael chuckled beside him and took the wrinkled clothes from his grasp. 

When he was done, he glanced at Barba who was staring at him. The look in his eye was something between cocky and dumbfounded, and he slowly shook his head, “I didn’t know you had tattoos. I mean,” His smile grew sharp. _“It doesn’t exactly fit your personality.”_

Suddenly, Sonny was thrown back in the memory of making a fool of himself on an early morning. Where he shared too much and really just watched Rafael creepily, all while trying to make a better impression on his neighbor. 

Carisi bit his lip and repeated softly, “Not that that’s a bad thing.” 

“I didn’t get a good look at it, what’s it of?” 

Proudly, Carisi lifted up his right sleeve further so he could see the full art. Soon as he turned 18 he wanted a tattoo. Of course, his father shut that down and instead just taught him the works. He did, eventually, get one later of his favorite flower. It was a stunning yellow peony. It was in the style of a watercolor painting, the gold hues of the petals seemed to bleed into the skin and the tints of orange for it’s center added even more awe to the work of art. 

“I drew it actually, then I let one of my dad’s friends do the actual inking.”

Of course he did.

“Of _course_ you did.” Rafael tentatively reached a hand out to feel the smooth skin there. It reminded him of all the beautiful sunsets he saw here, specifically the few he caught on the lake. Red, orange, gold, all collaborating and blending to appear somewhat unfinished due to the watercolor look. Abruptly he drew his wandering hand away, he was just silently caressing his arm at that point. “It’s very good.”

“Based on the way you looked at it, I’d say it’s _fucking fantastic._ ” Sonny snarked, pulling the sleeve back down and continuing back to the kitchen, “Hey, have you ever thought of getting a tattoo? I think you might like one.”

He had entertained the idea once or twice. In the late evenings between sleep and consciousness he’d thought about going over to Sonny’s to get a tattoo just to talk to him. Then he scratched the idea for being both a little too desperate and unnecessary. 

“Maybe.” He said, standing off to the side, watching Carisi prepare their food. “I have no idea what I would get though.” 

Sonny hummed as he sliced a tomato. “I have a few ideas.”

\---

One Month Later

\---

Once the evening hit the temperature dropped fast from bright, sickening, summer heat to the cool, wispy, twilight chill. Brookstowns’ minimal nightlife also had an upkeep, tourists flocked to the festivities, and in turn kept the outskirts of the rest of the town quiet. Up on the hill, in his shop, Sonny hurried to finish cleaning off his utensils. 

He grabbed a small cup, filled it with water and carried it to the front of the store. Perched on the still was a small planter of sunflowers that faced the large window and the sun most of the day. It was just starting to bud. Careful not to let his shirt drag across his bare upper arm, he watered the small plants. Once he was finished he locked up his shop and jogged across the street to Rafael’s.

He checked at his tattoo _again,_ he’d somehow had gotten antsy and into the habit of making sure the inking wasn’t ruined. It was completely unnecessary, but he did it anyway. The two small carnations and the updated color added a lot to it, but constantly he felt like it was going to get ruined. Rafael was rubbing off on him.

Inside the temperature controlled shop at the end of the main granite counter, he saw a single, perfectly cleaned, white camellia. It was there as an invitation-- _a challenge._ Sonny took it into his palm like it was a glass of wine and brought it up to his nose. Smiling at his lover’s antics, he walked up the stairs and opened the door with flourish. The apartment was dark, but a lamp from the bedroom cast soft light, spilling into the living room. Carisi followed the trail and carefully tapped open the door to see Barba talking softly and spritzing a large windowsill full of succulents with water and minerals. The plants glowed in the solution. 

Then, Rafael turned and the light caught his silk robe, which glistened. Sonny snorted so hard when he first laid his eyes on the maroon robe. Imprinted in it were large wide flowers and considering how the satin caught the light, it might as well been stitched with gold. Rafael watched him enter the room and flop down on the bed. 

“So.” Carisi began, “How’s it faring? Any soreness still?”

He didn’t reply at first, he set down the spray bottle and wandered to the bed. As he walked he peeled off his robe. “Well, I must say it’s been better, but I’ll be fine.” Sonny climbed up further on the bed to get around Barba to check his inking. On his upper right shoulder was an array of colors. Cherry red camellias and deep ruby carnations circled and overlapped each other. They were in a tight bundle, seemingly spilling out of the skin. The drawing was vivid, awing, and dramatic, much like Rafael himself. Still, the tanned skin around the tattoo was flushed from irritation. 

“Hopefully the pain will ease soon.” Sonny murmured, tracing the lines he made lightly. 

He huffed, “That’s exactly what the white camellia downstairs was for.”

“Hmm.”

“It was supposed to be a cactus flower, but we don’t live in a desert.” Barba looked down at the small cactus on the sill.

A cactus flower? Sonny took a moment to remind himself what that meant--oh. “The mood’s not ruined Rafi.”

“ _Rafi?_ Well it certainly is now.” Barba snarked. The whole sharp, cutting part of his personality would’ve been more effective if he didn’t look at Sonny with such fondness and care. Carisi grinned at the potential to prove him wrong, so he grabbed Rafael’s bare forearm and dragged the rest of Barba’s body down on the bed. 

Carisi kissed him deeply, but something in the back of his mind was bugging him. Something he wanted to bring up, but he could not remember what, and based on the path Rafael was taking it was going to stay that way. Barba got as far as taking off the majority of his clothes before he laid his eyes on the reminder. The little succulents on the windowsill - when he came in he heard the unmistakable deep timbre of Rafael’s voice. 

Sonny broke off the kiss, which was misinterpreted and he instead went straight for the neck. “Hey, ah, do you talk to your plants?”

He felt Barba’s entire body freeze up. He didn’t move away from the privacy of his neck. Eventually, with all the pride he could muster, Rafael sat back just enough for Sonny to see him bite his lip and bow his head down to his chest. 

He sighed heavily, “You were doing so well too.”

“Well?”

Rafael scooted back up and attacked his neck and collarbone with more vigor, “Maybe, maybe not.” He trailed off.

Sonny looked over at the little plants, “Maybe the succulents. Those look well cared for.”

Barba lifted his head and gave Carisi a neutral look. In return, he blushed from the stare. Rafael released the grip he had on his hip and instead brought it to his jaw and used it to pull them both together. The kiss was passionate, but not overly so. Life affirming could’ve been the right word, it was reassuring, comforting. 

In Rafael’s arms, Sonny felt like he was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peony: Bravery  
> Sunflower: Respect, passionate love, radiance  
> Cactus Flower: Lust/Sex


End file.
